Wondering what I have been up to between tropes posts? Well, I have been doing a podcast on gaming. So without further ado….

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Well I have been streaming! Yes, I have my own gaming stream channel and the game that I’m playing right now is Apotheon, a Greek Mythology based sidescrawler/platformer game. You can join the stream at 9:00 p.m. Eastern (U.S.) or catch the VoDs on the channel: https://www.twitch.tv/lessonslearned1

Tropes vs. Women, a web series helmed by Anita Sarkeesian has come to an end. Long time readers know that I was and still am a fan of the series due to its concise, critical analysis of tropes in the medium of video games from a feminist point of view. The video games industry needed a series like this and we got it. But the criticism did not escape the ire of those who thought that nothing short of fawning genuflection of all things video games was a threat to their very existence and a direct attack on those who enjoy them. For those of us who didn’t have our heads so far into our own puckers, this series was a refreshing and at times painful look at our favorite pastime.

Dwarven legends tell that when the Dark One, the Unmentionable One tore the Great Mother Astarte in two, the hot blood of creation rained down upon the Earth, like fiery comets. Whenever they struck, the land split asunder. One of those places is TerraKata, the City-Hold or the Hill Dwarfs. It is a deep gorge cut by the swift waters of the River Neida. Over multiple generations, the dwarfs channeled the waters of the river into a series of reservoirs that feed the terraces on both sides of the canyon. These serve as farming areas for the Hold, as well as grazing areas for sheep and mountain goats. Deeper in the canyon, under the shadow of multiple bridges that crisscross the gorge are the mines that supply a small amount of copper and tin, which dwarven craftsmen turn into impressive works of art.

Dwarfs carved their homes out of the soft red clay of the gorge, decorated not by giant statues to ancient dwarven heroes so beloved by their mountain brethren, but with depictions of day to day life in the small city of eleven-hundred residents. For example, the walls of communal dining rooms show great banquets full of food and cheer. Reliefs of dwarfs kneeling in pious and solemn prayer mark the local temple, and outdoors pastoral images of children playing among the terraces while their parents tend to the crops dominate the walls of the residences

The buildings posses large windows that allow for large amounts of light and air flow but with sturdy wooden windows and stone doors in case of defense. A handful of treacherous goat trails lead to the heart of the canyon, making a large scale assault difficult at best. Dwarven scouts are infamous for their ability to lay traps and roving ambushes for the unwary.